Wild chimpanzees are portrayed as eating and sharing fruits containing alcohol for the first time.
Researchers set up a camera in the Easyhaz National Park in Bissau, Guinea, and recorded footage of a cock sharing fermented African breadfruit.
Scientists said they raised questions about whether the findings intentionally seek alcohol and why they wanted chimpanzees.
Ethanolic
And they likened it to a human who brings benefits for social bonds and consumes alcohol much back in evolution.
“We know that for humans, drinking leads to the release of dopamine and endorphins, leading to the resulting feelings of happiness and relaxation,” said Anna Bowland of the University of Exeter.
“We know that sharing alcohol, including traditions such as feasts, can also help to form and strengthen social bonds.
“So we know that wild chimpanzees eat and share ethanolic fruits. The problem is that they may be getting similar benefits.”
Researchers used motion-activating cameras to photograph chimpanzees sharing fermented fruits on 10 separate occasions.
fermentation
The fruits shared by these chimpanzees were tested for alcohol content, with the highest levels found corresponding to a strength of 0.61%.
Researchers say it could be the tip of an iceberg, as between 60% and 85% of chimpanzee diets are fruit.
They emphasized that chimpanzees are unlikely to get drunk.
The effect of alcohol on chimpanzee metabolism is unknown.
However, recent discoveries of molecular adaptations that significantly increase ethanol metabolism in the common ancestors of African apes suggest that eating fermented fruits may have ancient origins in species, including humans and chimpanzees.
Evolutionary
“Chimpanzees don’t share food all the time, so this behavior may be important in fermented fruits,” said Dr. Kimberly Hockings of the University of Exeter.
“We need to know more about whether they are intentionally searching for ethanolic fruits and how they metabolize it, but this behavior could be an early evolutionary stage of the “feast.”
“If so, it suggests that the human tradition of feasts may have its origins deeply in our evolutionary history.”
– Paper, wild chimpanzees share fermented fruits and appear in the journal Current Biology.
This author
Rod Minkin is a reporter for the PA.
